Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 380 — page 20: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

~~ @ — = ——— a pa ———_ —_ - 20 —— | a Lone Lan uttered an oath. ‘‘ You've bagged us, boss?” he inquired. “*Don’t it look so?” asked the Tiger. “* An’ you all alone by yerself?” “* Not so bad as that, eof backers with me; andif that isn’t enough, The Golden Serpent. As it was, there was the danger of his voice being recognized; so Dick’s first care was to give Hugh the proper cue. Of the rest, he felt sure that none knew | have a little batch | him personally. Riding directly up to Hugh, the Tiger I can produce a few more ata moment’s | burst into a bantering laugh, as, grasping his notice.” At a sign from the Tiger his men rose } from their concealment. “That'll do,” said Lone Lan, quietly. ““ You take the pot, Cap!” And without any further show of feeling he handed over his weapons. The prisoners were bound, and their cap- ‘tors entered the retreat, Tiger Dick found in the Golden Serpent's private quarters an ample stock of clothing from which to select. By the sheer force of will, and without the necessity of any open threat, he soon had Don Giacomo once more invested with the personality of the object of his bitterest hatred. The Tiger then donned the disguise in which he had left the prison, and said: ‘* Now lead the way to the hiding-place of ‘the captured committee.” ‘* But, you will force me to enter there?” cried the Spaniard. ‘*T shall enter with you.”’ “But, a breath, and we are betrayed to certain death!” ‘““That might happen anywhere., Come! we are losing time!” And with the certainty of death if he re- ‘belled, Don Giacomo submitted himself to his miserable fate, cursing the Golden Ser- pent, who one way or another was at the Dottom of all his misfortunes. On reaching the vicinity of the glen in which our friends of the committee were confined, Dick left his men outside under the command of their former captain, and ad- ‘vanced boldly, alone with the disguised Don Giacomo, ‘‘ Now that you are in for it,” he said to ‘the Spaniard, ‘‘it will be to your advantage to conduct yourself boldly. Ride by the guard as if you expected to pass on his recog- nition of you. If he halts us, make an im- patient gesture toward me, and | will do the necessary talking.” Without using any precaution, they spur- ‘red their horses forward at a rapid gallop. At the mouth of a ravine into which they turned, a man rose in the bushes, and pre- sented a carbine. Don Giacomo made a gesture as if he were impatient of interruption. The guard lowered his weapon, and stood aside, with a military salute. “*Good!” said the Tiger, when they had ‘passed. “‘ You are 2 born actor.” “JT will praise the saints, if [ am not a dead actor within the next few hours!” mut- tered the Spaniard, sullenly. ‘‘ Have you thought of an avenue of escape, if we are detected?” “The way will doubtless suggest itself ‘when the emergency arises,” said the Tiger, andifferently. “You are bold. fight on your side.” ** Let the issue show.” And with the words on his lips, he dashed into the midst of the outlaws. CHAPTER XXYV. A GAME OF BLUFF. Ir will be remembered that Abigail's de- fense of ‘‘ ye daintie dude,” when his incau- tious remark had brought upon him the pen- alty of having to better the cooking he had criticised, was the occasion of her first lover's quarrel with Hugh Cole, to the not slight gratification of the Major-General; but that before this could develop itself, the Queen of the Road-Agents had appeared on the scene. The reader will now readily infer that what was taken for the Golden Serpent was in fact her counterfeit presentment, Don Giacomo in disguise. Of course the reporter would have at once recognized the Tiger but for his disguise, since it was Hugh’s graphic pen that had re- cently made him famous. In such a contin- gency surprise might have betrayed him into aa use of Dick’s name, which would have frustrated the whole plot by betraying his identity. I hope that the saints hand and shaking it heartily, he cried: ‘‘Ha, ha, ba! My boy, this ain’t so bad a joke. They’ve got you cooped up_ here finely, haven't they? Bat everything's grist that comes to your mill. I suppose it will furnish you with materials for a sensational article when you get back home. ‘‘And it isn’t every day that a ’Frisco de- tective enters a place of this kind as peace- ably as I have, eh?” Now, under ordinary circumstances Hugh’s wits would have been sufficiently keen to ‘‘catch on” to something sub rosa in this fa- miliar address by a total stranger. But taking it for granted that the Golden Serpent was accompanied by one of her own men, he had not given Dick a moment's heed, until he found himself actually claimed as a boon companion. Then, with his thoughts distracted by his misunderstanding with his lady-love, he did not recover himself as quickly as was his wont, but shook Dick’s hand mechanically, with a vague half-smile of inquiry, which told only too plainly that he was trying to make out what it all meant. Dick saw a gulf yawning at his feet, if he did not quickly and skillfully cover this balk-in his plans, Everything depended on the suspicions of the outlaws not being rous- ed. A breath of inquiry into the identity of the silent impersonator, and the bubble would burst. Without showing a trace of discomfiture, the Tiger dropped Hugh’s hand, and turned with the same hearty familiarity to Uncle Billy. ‘“And Uncle Biliy, too! Of all the men in the State, you’re the one to take this most good-naturedly, 'll be bound. I see that you haven't lost flesh and color through anxiety. If I hadn’t strict orders to fetch you all back to ‘Frisco, (ll be hanged if | wouldn’t leave you here—you seem so well content!” Now, Uncle Billy was never caught nap- ping. He didn’t know the man before him ‘*from a side of sole-leather.”” But one thing he did know—that he wasn't what he pro- fessed to be, a member of the detective force of the metropolis. Billy, to put it in his own way, would have sworn that he knew all the boys as well as if he had studied the catechism out of the same book with them. In this state of affairs, then, Uncle Billy— to use his own expression once more—‘*‘ smelt a mice instanter, and went it blind for what it was worth!” “The dickens you would!” he cried, tak- ing his cue cleverly from the Tiger, ‘Well, if the boys haven't forgotten the crack of the boss's whip since J've been away, I'll run you out of the force the minute I set foot on my native heath!” Dick was satisfied with this. There was an understanding, however indefinite as yet, be- tween him and Uncle Billy. The outlaws, who were staring from their supposed leader to the free and easy detective she had brought among them, ‘‘ took it all like lambs.” Turning to Judge Littlejohn, Dick went on: ‘‘T recognize Senator Littlejohn, though of course he don’t know Tom Chesuble from hundreds of others of his constituents.” And Dick bowed to the great man as_ be- came his pretended position. He received in return a formal recogni- tion. Senator Littlejohn was by no means in the best of humors, It was all. right that he should be rescued, but the point was that he should never have been put in such a posi- tion. Dick included the rest in a general bow, only a little more pronounced to the ladies, as he went on ghbly: é “111 depend upon you to back me in as- suring the ladies that they need endure no further anxiety, When I say that they shall be back in Frisco as quick as horseflesh will stand to be driven, my word is good—ain’t it, Uncle Billy?” ‘‘| wish I kad Tom Chesuble’s signature ci epic Spann ee— = eres Oo antenna a LL OL IL nD | guaranteeing a gold-mine with an output equal to Tombstone!” was Uncle Billy’s in- dorsement, albeit he had no more idea who it might be he was accrediting so highly than if 1t were the man in the moon! By this time Hugh Cole had gathered his scattered wits. He saw Uncle Billy’s play, for he too knew that there was no such man on the ferce as Tom Chesuble, and it was equally clear to him that by his awkwardness he iad nearly spoiled the situation. He therefore set about to repair his fault. ‘* But what is this all about, Tom?” he asked, in the most natural tone in the world. ‘* What are we here for, and what influence is getting us out? We're dying of curiosity. We’ve thought it must be for ransom. But then no overtures have been made to us look- ing to redemption. Clear matters up abit, before you go any further,” Dick had been disappointed in Hugh; but he now saw that he was playing skillfully into his hands. He was giving him an op- portunity to explain the situation in his own way. To both Hugh and Uncle Billy it was a puzzle to guess what could be the need of any underhand proceedings in the presence of the Golden Serpent; but they knew that it was better to let the stranger have his way, if he was indeed a friend. ‘‘ Availing himself of this opportunity, Dick turned to the gaping outlaws, and said, with the off-hand patronage which officers of the law generally assume toward criminals: ‘‘ And I suppose these fellows are wonder- ing ee their charming leader is leaving me to do all the chinning, when, as is commonly known, the ladies are apt to claim their share in such matters.” The robbers were too well accustomed to the whims of their Queen to wonder much at anything she chose to do; and this fact was one on which the Tiger had counted. Turning to the disguised Giacomo, he said, with a bow: ‘‘If I don’t put the case straight, madam, don’t hesitate to interrupt me at any time.” With an impatient wave of the hand, Don Giacomo signaled him to proceed. ‘‘'Well, boys,” he said, ‘‘ you must know that your Queen prefers not to give us sharps of the law even so much of a clew to her identity as a familiarity with her voice would be. As it is, the moment she chooses to don the ordinary dress of her sex, we have no means of telling her from any other lady. ‘‘ Now, when it came to the Governor of the State, she not only let him hear her speak, but showed him her face! She is shrewd enough to know that there is no like- lihood of his ever turning detective; so that his knowledge will be no injury to her. ‘* And now for her business with His Ex- cellency. ‘« It was supposed that the capture of these good people was the work of the Silver Riffle crowd, who had determined to put a veto on the investigation. But two days ago a lady called upon the Governor, introduced herself as the Golden Serpent, and announced that she held the committee as hostages, in exchange for whom she demanded the re- lease of that gay and festive road-agent, Tiger Dick!” ‘he instant that name passed Dick's lips, the identity of the voice, which had all along sounded familiar to him, flashed through Cole’s mind. He knew that Tiger Dick himself stood before them, in his as- sumed character of Tom Chesuble the de- tective. But if the facts were as he stated them, and His Excellency had acceded to the terms of the Queen of the Road-Agents, of course the Golden Serpent herself knew him in his true character, and the reason he assigned for her silence was a false one. Moreover, if he did not wish to reveal his identity to the Queen's followers, why had he accompanied her there at all? Lastly, why had he pretended to put him- self in confidential relations with Hugh and Uncle Billy to the apparant exclusion of the outlaws and their leader? The whole thing savored of fraud of some kind; and Hugh at once put himself on the defensive against the Tiger, watching for some clew to his motives. That they were sinister to himself and his friends, he more and more feared. Eomicboo (E S) (olay